Can anyone identify this moulding profile??

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Harrris303

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Hi everyone. I've been asked to make a bookcase to match one which was built quite a few years ago, and the customer wants it to be an identical match. I'm trying to track down the wooden coving/cornice moulding that the previous carpenter used, and I've not had any luck so far. Sadly the previous guy has since died so I'm running out of ideas! I thought it might be worth posting a photo on here just in case anyone could help. I managed to slip a bit of paper behind the moulding and trace the profile so please see it attached. Any help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks very much.
 

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Could be wrong but I think it's a one-off with no chance you'd be able to buy it off the shelf so basically you've got to copy it or get someone to do it for you.
Easier in two parts. Have a closer look at the original you might see a join
 
Thanks for the reply Jacob. That would explain why I haven't found anything like it online! Any that have come close have been plaster mouldings. I'll have a look and see if there are any joins or anything. I'm thinking maybe the best thing would be if I use something new and then replace all the old to match. Thanks again for your input.
 
As Jacob said..... probably an amalgam of two pieces joined together at a point just above what appears to be a Grecian Ogee.

Typically these were rough-cut using a succession of plough planes, rebates etc to approach the profile then completed with Hollow and Round planes. It would all have been worked against an accurate template; bit of a lost art, (and no pun intended) however there is a comprehensive book on the subject by Matthew Bickford from The Lost Art Press
https://www.classichandtools.com/acatal ... l#SID=1220

It depends how many feet/yards/miles you have to produce as to how you go about it.......... but a decent engineers profile gauge will determine which radius H & Rs you need as a start........ if you buy them second hand, the H&R profile is based on a 60 degree segment of a circle; the size of the radius is usually (by convention) stamped on the end in 1/16s of an inch - e.g. a No: 6 is 3/8, a No: 10 is 5/8 etc. At the big end of the spectrum (over about and inch) they change to about 1/8 inch increments, but it varies by manufacturer, so always check the actual size with the gauge.
If you do go for it, it is absolutely essential for your sanity that the timber is absolutely straight grain and homogeneous in density; waving grain makes it much more difficult. The best thing that I found was to use reclaimed Victorian Deal that is dead straight.

Good luck, the book is a brilliant read in its own right.

PS - as an afterthought, The Wooden Plane by John Whelan has a section on identifying classic decorative forms
 
Argus":1bwges6f said:
As Jacob said..... probably an amalgam of two pieces joined together at a point just above what appears to be a Grecian Ogee.......
Probably joined roughly along the line on the paper which bisects the 2", and invisible.
 
Doug71 that actually looks pretty much spot on!!! At least if the dimensions are about right then any differences would be just about invisible when compared across the room! I was a bit worried my drawing was slightly misleading because I didn't actually know if it was solid behind or not. I'll have to remind myself of some trigonometry to work out if it's the right size... Thanks for that though. What a find!

Thanks everyone else too for your thoughts, especially Argus. That book sounds really useful. A friend of mine has a huge collection of planes of all kinds so I'd be interested to take the book over to him and see what we could make up! Good tip about the straight grain too. Sounds like fiddly work so no need to make it any more of a challenge with difficult timber haha.
 
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